We had the dolphin experience fabulous ship fabulous meals. But no dolphins all seen 10.30 12.30 went for a sleep at 2.30 🤣😂

This visit was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary - we were married on the rock and return often. This was our first stay on the Sunborn but will not be our last. From the booking process to check-out, this was a great experience and the service we received was first class. We were warmly greeted at check-in with a glass of Cava each, had the services explained to us and swiftly on our way to the room to settle in.The hotel itself is great and our room (Superyacht Superior) was wonderful - a very large bed, spacious room and a great view from the juliette balcony over the marina and runway (very few flights per day and no night flights so no disturbance). My only criticism is that the lack of bathroom door may worry some - the toilet cubicle and shower both have their own glass doors (with some modesty frosting) but it does feel quite exposed. We did have an issue with the sink not draining but the maintenance chap was there within five minutes of us reporting it and soon had it fixed - great service. We ate in the Barbary restaurant on our anniversary day and the staff were superb, making sure that we had a wonderful time. The food was great and, for the quality, most reasonable in price. We enjoyed some drinks in the Aqua Bar on a number of occasions and, again, the service and staff were wonderful - just a shame that the only draft beer was Heineken (whereas the Barbary bar next door in the restaurant had San Miguel). All in all, we had a wonderful stay and were genuinly sad to leave the Sunborn - we shall return!

Due to having cheap flights, we upgraded our hotel to the Sunborn, and boy, was it worth it. The rooms were exceptionally clean & most of the staff were extremely friendly & helpful, though my wife had to be firm with one particular lady who didn't really want to help us with a simple ice cream. (There was a giant ice cream cone sign right next to her). We will certainly stay again.

This accommodation may have been 5 star when it first opened in 2014. It’s certainly not the case now. The whole place is looking tired and should be rated 3 star at best. We had booked a Superyacht king room but I’m not even sure that’s what we got. To start with when we switched on the tv to check the facilities there was someone else name on the screen. This occurred twice, the room number on the tv was different to the room we were in… not critical but attention to detail is what you’d expect when checking into a 5 star experience, and hence we couldn’t view hotel charges. We did approach reception about this but that’s as far as it went. Again not a five star response. There was no iron or ironing board in the room when I called reception to have one delivered I was told it’s in the wardrobe despite me saying it wasn’t it took some time to have one delivered. The bathroom door was a completely clear glass door I think they forgot the frosting!! So anyone coming in could see you showering or on the loo! One the first morning the room was serviced at 9.30am the second day we got back at 3.30pm and had to call to have the room made up. It was just hit and miss. The deck had rubbish on it and our visiting guests actually asked a staff member to pick it up. Just a totally dissatisfying holiday on this yacht. I understand that everybody’s opinions vary and this is my personal opinion. But I won’t be rushing back to the Sunborn. Positives…. It’s in a fabulous location!!

In my recent trip to Gibraltar, I stayed in the Sunborn Gibraltar, which basically is a floating hotel in the Gibraltar Harbour. The reason why I chose this hotel over another equally popular five star hotel in Gibraltar, the Rock hotel, was its proximity to the Gibraltar airport, which you can just walk directly from the runway in 18 minutes. In case you are not familiar with the Sunborn group like me, it is a family owned group of properties and real estate developments. One of its most famous businesses is the yacht hotels, with the earliest one built in 2003 in London. This 7-floor Gibraltar branch was actually the first five star hotel of the group, and was open in 2014. According to the group’s website, the advantage of yacht hotels is the reduction of environmental footprint, as they can be removed from the waterfront if they are no longer in operation. The room that I am staying this time is the super yacht superior room. This is a 30m2 double bed room with a balcony facing the Gibraltar airport. I have to say I was worried that the noise of the aircrafts might be a nuisance to me, but it was such a relief to know that the windows are thick and double glazed, and with an average of just 4-5 flights per day and no flights operating after midnight, I actually wish there were more flights for me to capture the blink-and-you-miss landing moment. Overall, the room is cosy and spacious for its size, with all the facilities such as TV, minibar included. What I like the most was its provision of large bottle water, which I often need to ask for it in other five star hotels. Although water conservation is many hotel’s commitment, I have always thought that it should not be at the expense of your customers’ dehydration. So good job Sunborn! For the bathroom, it is equally spacious with shower facilities but no bathtubs, which I have no complaint about it. In fact, as a hotel who put emphasis on environmental friendliness, this is in fact a good way of water conservation. So don’t expect they would automatically provide dental kit, which seemed to be an irrevocable trend among five star hotels. For bathroom amenities, they have used Rituals, which is acceptable to me but not impressive. As my hotel package includes breakfast, I have mostly patronise their Barbary restaurant. I would say if you are an early bird, this seemed to be your only choice within the area as most shops open at 9 or after. It is not impressive in either taste or variety. But considering the overall Gibraltar culinary experience, it is actually quite average. That said, the a la carte food served after breakfast time is actually not bad, especially when you don’t want to brace against the crowd in Main Street during weekends. You can also see the same Gibraltar airport views that I enjoy in my room, and with an average price of 20 pounds, it is not expensive for a five star hotel. But again, as part of the Ocean Village mixed development project, there are plenty of bars and restaurants outside the hotel, wagamama anyone? Equally unimpressive is the rooftop bar and pool on the deck, which is nowhere near an authentic cruise experience considering this is actually a yacht hotel. I have to say the pool is just slightly bigger than a typical bathtub, and with all those deckchairs located on one side of the pool, if you are a beach person, I see no reason not to visit the beautiful beaches in Gibraltar instead. The gym though is adequately equipped, with strength training machines, treadmill and dumb bell available. Overall, I would say this is a decent stay but not impressive. If you are a luxury traveller with no compromise in food and service as well as facilities, you might be disappointed. That said, don’t forget this is Gibraltar, and as a result, the choice of luxury five star hotels are actually quite limited, and if you are a person who prefers convenience over breathtaking scenes, then this is actually the only choice available.